Leanne Battersby

Leanne Anika Battersby (previously Tilsley and Barlow) is the daughter of Les Battersby and Stella Price and mother of Oliver Battersby.

Leanne was brought up by Les and her stepmother Janice, along with her stepsister Toyah. The Battersbys moved into 5 Coronation Street in 1997. In 1998, the troublesome teen eloped with Nick Tilsley in Scotland, horrifying both of their families. The marriage fell apart when Nick forced Leanne to have an abortion, and afterwards Leanne's life spiralled out of control. Following a drug addiction, Leanne moved away in 2000 to escape from gangster Jez Quigley.

Leanne returned in 2004 and another unsettled period followed including an affair with her boyfriend Jamie's father Danny, prostitution, and burning down her restaurant Valandro's in order to collect the insurance payout. It wasn't until she started a relationship with Peter Barlow in 2008 and became mother to his son five-year-old son Simon that she changed into a more responsible adult.

When Peter was seriously injured following a tram crash, Leanne married him in hospital. They had a wobble when Peter discovered that Leanne had cheated on him with Nick, but when Peter's affair with Carla Connor exposed his hypocrisy, Leanne divorced him and was given custody of Simon. Re-marriage to Nick followed in 2013, with Leanne helping to manage Nick's Bistro, however when Nick was involved in a car crash and left with brain damage, he experienced violent outbursts which strained their marriage to the point where they were forced to separate.

In 2016, Leanne had a one-night stand with Steve McDonald and fell pregnant with his baby. Leanne was happy to be a mother, and gave birth to Oliver in 2017. By now, Leanne had the support of her family, as Toyah had returned to the area after a long absence, and she had finally met her mother Stella in 2011 and her half-sister Eva Price, who she lived with along with Simon. She currently lives in a flat with Nick, Simon and Oliver, and works as a PA at Barlow Legal Services.

1981-1997: Being dragged up
Leanne was born on 2nd July 1981 to Les Battersby and Stella Price. Teenage Stella was happy with Les at first but he soon started drinking heavily and neglecting his wife and daughter, leading her to walk out on the family when Leanne was three years old. Les took Leanne back to his mother's home and when Stella returned for her daughter, Betty refused to hand her over. Les was married to another woman, but that also ended soon and it was his relationship with Janice Lee which gave Leanne a stable mother figure in her life and she later married Les. Leanne also gained a stepsister in Toyah, Janice's daughter. The Battersby family were rehoused by the council several times over the following years due to their disputes with neighbours and anti social behaviour. The Battersby family's arrival.]] The Battersbys moved into 5 Coronation Street in the summer of 1997 when Leanne was 16. The Battersbys were considered "the family from hell" by most of the neighbours and Leanne was a mischievous troublemaker who would shoplift and play loud music with Toyah. In frustration, neighbour Curly Watts broke Leanne's CD player, earning himself a headbutt from Les. Having left school, Leanne was not in to further education and Janice insisted on her getting a job. Janice found work for Leanne as a cleaner at Underworld but Leanne was idle and got the sack after setting off the fire alarm while smoking in the toilets.

1998-1999: Marriage to Nick Tilsley
Leanne began dating Nick Tilsley in late 1997 after he returned from an extended stay in Canada. Leanne enrolled on a hairdressing course at a local college, in order to spend more time with Nick who was also studying there. Nick's mother Gail Platt instantly disapproved of the union as she did not like the Battersbys. Leanne and Gail frequently clashed, but this did not stop the teenagers from running away to Scotland to get married in January 1998. In an effort to become a more responsible adult, Leanne quit her hairdressing course and started working with Rita Sullivan in The Kabin. When Gail discovered that Nick had married Leanne, he left home and moved in with the Battersbys but the young couple were uncomfortable sharing with Leanne's family and so shortly after began lodging with Ashley Peacock and Zoe Tattersall at No.4. 1998: Darren Whateley causes trauma for Nick and Leanne.]] When Nick met Darren Whateley, the man who had killed his father, Brian, he wrote letters to Darren under Leanne's name as part of a revenge plot. Leanne was terrified when Darren showed up unexpectedly to meet her, asking for sex. Later on, when Darren learned he had been set up, he threatened Leanne, but Nick rescued her just in time. The events put a large strain on Nick and Leanne's relationship.

When Nick modelled for Miranda Peters, the relationship was put on further strain. Leanne refused to speak to him, or attend his 18th birthday party on 31st December 1998. However, when Leanne's half-brother Greg Kelly attacked Nick, she came back to him and told him that she was pregnant. Nick was horrified at the thought of becoming a dad. Furious, he demanded that she abort the unborn child and pretend to everyone else that she had miscarried the baby. Leanne reluctantly agreed, but afterwards felt immense guilt. The relationship couldn't survive such trauma and they consequently divorced. Nick went back to Canada and Leanne took what financial offer she could get from Gail as a divorce settlement.

Newly single, Leanne began dating new resident Vikram Desai who was working at the Corner Shop at the time. Excessive partying and late nights took its toll on Leanne. She subsequently resigned from The Kabin following a misunderstanding over missing money and fell out with Ashley over unpaid rent and frequent houseguests. She then started working behind the bar at the Rovers for Natalie Horrocks and moved in to the living quarters.

1999-2000: Becoming a drug addict
Leanne was pleased to receive her degree absolute but also felt depressed by her failed marriage and went on to become addicted to cocaine, after being supplied some by drug dealer Jez Quigley. Leanne ended up deeply in debt to Jez and upon occasion was forced to sleep with him. She owed him money and became desperate. She was going to allow him to rob the Rovers on New Year's Day 2000, but at the last minute backed out and landed herself in hospital after a fight with one of Jez's thugs. Leanne was hailed a hero for trying to fight off the thugs, but felt ashamed knowing the truth and was later humiliated when her drug secret was exposed in the Rovers by Amy Goskirke who she had considered a friend. Jez Leanne faces the wrath of Jez ]Jez continued to pester Leanne over the following months, leaving her scared. After being found not guilty of murdering Tony Horrocks in court, Jez sent flowers and a necklace to Leanne and then had her picked up off the street and brought to his flat were he professed his love for her. Knowing Jez to be capable of extreme violence, she left Weatherfield for Amsterdam with her friend Mark Redman later in the year to escape the gangster's clutches.

2004-2006: Relationship with the Baldwins
In June 2004, Les discovered Leanne dressed as a belly dancer in a back street local bar, serving beer. She returned to the Street and moved back in with Janice. She quickly caused trouble for ex-husband Nick and his latest girlfriend Maria Sutherland. She had heard about how Maria had betrayed Toyah by having a fling with John Arnley, and decided to take revenge on both Maria and her former husband. Leanne and Maria’s sparring culminated in a brawl in the Rovers Return. Eventually, Leanne's scheming paid off as Nick left Weatherfield without Maria.

Not long after her return, Leanne started a relationship with Jamie Baldwin. Jamie's stepmother, Frankie Baldwin, hated Leanne, and several ferocious slanging matches ensued. Despite her feud with Frankie, Leanne and Jamie became engaged. However, Leanne began an affair with Jamie's dad, Danny Baldwin, which Frankie discovered. When Jamie learned the truth, he was heartbroken and proceeded to call off the engagement. Leanne quit her job at Roy's Rolls as she was unable to continue working with Frankie and temporarily departed the Street to sort her life out.

Leanne and Danny eventually accepted that their respective relationships were over and consequently decided to reunite. When Danny's father, Mike Baldwin, began to suffer from mental illness, Leanne and Danny were the ones who cared for him. However, their main priority was getting their hands on his estate.

Shortly before Mike's death, Danny had managed to manipulate Mike into making a will giving it all to him, and cutting out his other sons, Mark and Adam Barlow. Yet following Mike's death, Leanne discovered a will that post-dated this one and in it, Mike left Adam his fair share. Despite becoming engaged to Leanne, Danny Baldwin truly loved former wife Frankie and ended his relationship with Leanne in a bid for reconciliation. Leanne was devastated and took revenge on Danny by blackmailing him with Mike's latest will. Leanne then double-crossed her ex by giving Mike's second will to Adam, even after Danny gave her the cash which she demanded. Having totally wrecked Danny's life, Leanne then made her exit to Spain.

2007-2008: Prostitution and arson
Leanne returned in March 2007, harbouring the secret that she was now working as an escort. Janice was horrified to discover the truth and made her disapproval very clear. When Leanne began dating Liam Connor, Janice made her realise that she had to choose between Liam and prostitution. Initially, Leanne chose escorting, but later decided that she should allow her heart to rule her head and gave it up for him. In the latter days of her career as a prostitute, Leanne found herself a new client - Liam's brother Paul Connor.

Leanne went into business with Paul's wife, Carla. They decided to buy and run Italian restaurant Valandro's together. In order to gather up the cash to make the purchase, Leanne made a brief return to her work as a prostitute. This business deal would ultimately lead to Leanne's exposure, as Carla came across one of her clients who told her the truth. Carla was shocked, and decided to abandon their business arrangement.

Paul threatens Leanne, shortly before forcing her into his car boot.]] When Carla ended her marriage to Paul after finding out about his visits to escorts, he blamed Leanne and attempted revenge. He lured her to a car park where he bundled her into the boot of his car to drive to Liam and inform him of the truth. However, a horrific car crash took place during the journey. Leanne was hospitalised, but survived. Paul, on the other hand, did not pull through and died shortly after the accident. Carla revealed Leanne’s profession to Liam, who was stunned and decided that he wanted nothing more to do with Leanne.

Leanne decided to go ahead with opening the restaurant herself. She borrowed £10,000 from Janice‘s boyfriend Roger Stiles, but initially struggled with her new business. She took on Paul Clayton as cook at the restaurant, and began to feel hope when business improved. Paul eventually invested money in the restaurant acquiring a share of the business.

She then began dating bookmaker Dan Mason, by which time the restaurant was beginning to show signs of failure. It was Dan who suggested torching Valandro's for the insurance money. Leanne manipulated Paul into carrying this out for her, offering the promise of a relationship between the two of them. Paul agreed and carried out the arson attack, but was disappointed to realise Leanne had only been using him. He attempted to take revenge on her by confessing his crime to the police, as well as implicating her. However, Dan and Leanne provided alibis for one another on the night of the fire so they got away with the crime. Realising that he alone was going to be sent down, Paul subsequently fled the country to avoid prosecution.

Leanne subsequently got a job working in the bookies with Dan and his father. She then returned to her old job behind the bar at the Rovers as she was not making enough money at the bookies. She was fired by Michelle Connor after she wrongly accused Leanne of sleeping with her boyfriend Steve McDonald.

In September 2008, Leanne and Janice discovered that the syndicate Lottery ticket for the factory girls was a winner - to the tune of nearly £25,000. Leanne convinced her stepmother that she should not tell the other girls about it and keep the winnings for themselves. To claim the winnings they had to set up a bogus bank account under the name of Rosie Webster. They were both thrilled when the cash was lodged to the account, they made up a cover story that an uncle of Janice's had died and had left them a sum of money in his will. Leanne then offered to give Dan the £10,000 which he needed to buy the bookies. However, she clashed with Janice over this as in the meantime, Rosie had vanished and the police could see that money was being withdrawn from the account. Unfortunately for Leanne, Dan found out about the scam after Janice was arrested following her admission of guilt and their relationship subsequently ended.

2008-2012: Return of Peter Barlow
In October 2008, Peter Barlow returned to the Street with his son Simon and Leanne took a shine to both. Peter was battling an addiction to alcohol however and this threatened his relationship with Leanne. In December, a drunken Peter went to kiss Leanne, and though she rejected him, he grabbed her. In self-defence, Leanne pushed him and he fell into the decorated Christmas tree resulting in Simon waking up and Leanne walking out. However, she later forgave him when he promised to give up the booze and the pair began a relationship.

Early in 2009, Peter was struggling to stay off alcohol and entered a rehabilitation programme with Leanne's support. In his absence she took over running the bookies. Upon his return in March, Leanne discovered he had cheated on her while he was away. Brokenhearted, she subsequently moved to Leeds to take up a job offer managing a restaurant for a friend. Several months later, Peter headed out to Leeds and asked Leanne to give him another chance; she returned to Coronation Street the day after, whereupon they resumed their relationship. Later Leanne and Peter decide to open a bar together in the joinery premises under the viaduct at the end of Coronation Street. Ken was dead set against the plan, but Peter found investment in Simon's maternal grandfather George Wilson, who was attempting to build a relationship with Simon. As work began on the bar, Peter's drink problem returned. George tried to use the alcoholism against Peter to get custody of Simon for himself.

Despite his personal problems, Peter's relationship with Leanne survived and they became engaged. When Leanne's ex-husband Nick moved back to the Street, he decided to use the empty premises in Viaduct Street to open his own bar, The Joinery. Peter encouraged Leanne to take up his offer of a Manager role. In November 2010, The Joinery opened and Leanne began an affair with Nick. Nick begged Leanne not to go through with the wedding as he still loved her. Leanne chose to go ahead with the wedding and call off the affair. At Peter's stag party in The Joinery on 6th December 2010, a massive gas explosion ripped through the premises, damaging the viaduct and causing a tram to derail and crash into Coronation Street. Peter was gravely injured and trapped with Nick and Ashley Peacock. Peter was eventually rescued from the wreckage and taken to hospital with Leanne by his side. Believing he was close to death, Peter married Leanne that night from his hospital bed.

Peter survived, but his injuries meant that he would have to learn to walk again. On Christmas Day, Peter announced in the Rovers that he intended to be walking by 14th February when he planned to give Leanne the wedding that she deserved. Encouraged by a manipulative Nick, Peter began secretly drinking again. A week before Leanne and Peter renewed their vows, her affair with Nick came to the knowledge of Tracy Barlow, who eventually told Peter. At the blessing, Peter exposed the affair in front of the whole congregation, and said he wanted a divorce. Thinking she'd lost Peter forever, Leanne decided to leave Weatherfield for London, but after Ken convinced Peter that Leanne was the best thing that had happened to him and Simon, he went to try and stop Leanne from leaving. They decided to give their relationship another go.

In mid-2011 Stella Price and her daughter Eva moved to Weatherfield, as Stella had recently become landlady of the Rovers. When Stella met Leanne she realised that Leanne was her estranged biological daughter, born when Stella had been in a teenage relationship with Les Battersby. During Leanne's 30th birthday party, Stella confessed to Leanne that she was her mother, also revealing that Eva was her half-sister. Leanne rejected Stella, believing that she had abandoned her but slowly made amends and came to accept her and Eva as family.

In July 2011 Leanne became pregnant with Peter's child but soon afterwards miscarried after falling down a flight of stairs. Although they tried for another child, she learned she was unlikely to get pregnant again as one of her Fallopian tubes became blocked after the miscarriage.

That year, Peter had started an affair with Carla Connor. Leanne remained oblivious until Frank Foster's rape trial in January 2012, when Peter admitted to the affair. Leanne then ran off to the flat to pack her bags. She and Peter had a massive row causing her to leave Weatherfield. It was only her concern for Simon that caused her to return and fight for custody. Peter refused to allow Leanne to spend any time with Simon, but when Simon became ill after drinking a bottle of wine, it became clear that Simon wanted to move in with Leanne. Peter was forced to relent and let him live with her.

2012-2014: Back to Nick
In June 2012, Leanne got back with Nick while pursuing a divorce from Peter, which came through that November. Within a few days, Eva and Kylie Platt plotted against Leanne and told Nick to propose as Leanne would love it, knowing that she would react badly to the idea. Their plan worked at first and the couple split up after the failed proposal, but Leanne soon realised that she loved Nick and proposed to him in the Rovers.

Leanne and Nick got engaged and Nick booked the wedding for Christmas Day. On the morning of the wedding, Leanne visited Peter and said that she would give their relationship another go, however Peter's girlfriend Carla reappeared unannounced and Leanne decided to marry Nick after all. At the ceremony Eva revealed the truth about why Leanne was late, Nick cancelled the wedding and they split up. In the New year, Nick and Peter came to blows over Leanne and Nick smashed the bistro up. Following a confrontation with Stella, Leanne decided to leave Weatherfield for good. The next day she told Nick that she was leaving and clear that he still had feelings for her, he went to the Rovers to talk to Leanne and begged her not to go. The pair later announced the wedding was back on and they were successfully re-married on 11th January 2013.

In August of that year, the bistro van - with Nick and David inside - was hit by a lorry, and Nick was comatose for nearly two months. The brothers had been arguing about Nick's one-night-stand with David's wife Kylie, and the uncertainty regarding the parentage of Kylie's daughter Lily, all of which Leanne was completely unaware. Nick eventually recovered and went back home with Leanne, by which point a DNA test had confirmed that David was Lily's father. During Lily's christening in October 2013, the truth about Nick and Kylie's one-night stand emerged. Leanne broke up with Nick after hearing the news but they reconciled after a few weeks.

Nick's brain injury caused him to experience mood swings, leading him to shout at Simon and hit Leanne. Leanne stood by Nick, but he himself ended their relationship in January 2014 so that he wouldn't be able to hurt them. Shortly afterwards, Leanne started an affair with Kal Nazir. When Nick found out he became enraged and revealed Leanne's history as a prostitute to Kal's family. Nick and Leanne eventually divorced and Leanne continued her relationship with Kal. At the same time she left the Bistro and took a job at Prima Doner.

2015-2016: Abuse from Simon
In June 2015, Kal died after he and Leanne rescued Amy Barlow from a fire which broke out inside 12 Victoria Court on the same day Kal proposed to her. She became distressed and blamed Carla for allegedly leaving a candlestick lit (when in reality it was Tracy Barlow). Simon got angry and threw a remote control at Leanne's face, injuring and stunning her.

Leanne was held hostage by Dan Jones with Liz McDonald and Simon, after she revealed to Liz that Dan was a former client of hers who was violent towards prostitutes, scuppering his chances of a relationship with Liz. Dan vengefully revealed Leanne's history as a prostitute to Simon and although they escaped from Dan, Simon was disgusted at Leanne. She continued to receive physical and verbal abuse from Simon over the months and after an incident where she was knocked out when Simon threw her at a table, she admitted what was happening to Kal's son Zeedan.

Unable to cope with her stepson's behaviour, Leanne sent him to live with Ken in November 2015. During this time, Simon hit his cousin Amy and Leanne was forced to open up about the problems she was having to Ken and Tracy. In February 2016, Leanne reported Simon's abuse to the police when he broke another boy's leg during a football match. Simon fell out with her because he had actually broken the leg by accident. Eventually though, they made up.

2016-: Steve and Oliver
In June 2016 Leanne slept with Steve McDonald, who called round to her flat upset over his recent split from his wife Michelle Connor. A few weeks later she discovered she was pregnant but kept it a secret. She told Steve about the pregnancy, by which point he was back with Michelle. He offered to help pay for an abortion but Leanne was adamant that she was keeping the baby due to her past fertility problems. Steve did not approve of this but Leanne told him that nobody had to know he was the father. Afterwards, Leanne found out that Steve had told his mother about the situation, much to her frustration. She also found out that Michelle was pregnant with Steve's child as well.

Leanne started to rekindle her relationship with Nick but instead decided to move to Liverpool with Simon to escape the drama. Learning she was pregnant, Nick arrived at the bus station just in time and convinced Leanne that he loved her and didn't want her to move away. A relieved Leanne tearfully admitted the same. Leanne decided to remain in Weatherfield and start a relationship with Nick for the third time. Nick suggested she tell everyone he was the father. When Tracy saw Leanne returning from her first scan, she found out about the pregnancy and announced it in the Rovers, forcing Leanne to tell Nick's family on the spot that she was carrying his child.

On Christmas Day Leanne was shocked when Toyah returned to Weatherfield after nearly fourteen years away, having split up with her husband Toby. Leanne let Toyah move in with her, unaware that she was having a secret affair with Peter. Several weeks later, Leanne realised what was happening between her stepsister and ex-husband, and furiously kicked Toyah out. 2017: Leanne gives birth in a lift with the assistance of Toyah.]] In January 2017 Michelle lost her baby, Ruairi, intensifying both Leanne and Steve's guilt over their deception. In February Leanne went into labour while trapped in the lift with Toyah at Victoria Court. Despite the circumstances, she successfully gave birth to her son Oliver, also choosing to forgive Toyah over her relationship with Peter. Later that week Nick's family decided to celebrate the birth of what they thought was Nick's baby in the bistro. During the event, Steve held Oliver and confessed to Michelle that he was the baby's father. Furious and still grieving over her own son's death, Michelle hit Leanne, wishing Oliver dead.

Nick continued to stick by Leanne in the aftermath of the revelation, but struggled to be a surrogate father with Steve still in the picture and in May he walked out on her and Oliver believing that she deserved someone better than him. Leanne was forced out of the Victoria Court flat and moved in to the Rovers with Peter and Toyah after they bought it. Steve then proposed to Leanne but after a very brief engagement they realised they wouldn't work together. Steve later got engaged to his ex Tracy but had a second one night stand with Leanne shortly before the wedding when they were once again drowning their sorrows. 2018: Leanne is critically injured in a car accident.]] Tracy found out about Leanne and Steve on the wedding day and instigated a fight with Leanne at the reception. Leanne swiftly left the wedding but on her way home was mowed down by Ronan Truman's car, having stopped at the scene of a prior accident and rushed to hospital. Leanne required CPR at the scene and was rushed to hospital for surgery, with Nick who was still listed as her emergency contact rushing to her bedside. Over the following weeks, Leanne recovered from her injuries and also reconciled with Nick once again, despite the bombshell that he had an estranged wife Elsa, who he had married in Nottingham since they last parted. After a rocky reunion, Leanne stuck by Nick through his messy divorce and began living with him again at Victoria Court along with Toyah and her boyfriend Imran Habeeb.

The harmonium was soon disrupted as Toyah and Imran believed Nick to be responsible for the roof collapse at Underworld that had killed Imran's sister Rana. Although Leanne declared her loyalty to Nick, she had her suspicions and when Nick's lies began to catch up with him, Leanne discovered that he was responsible for stealing £80,000 from his grandmother Audrey Roberts. Not wanting to lose Nick and be left stranded as a single mother again, Leanne decided to support him in his plan to pin the full responsibility of the crime on his brother David. At the last minute, Nick confessed but was spared prison and handed a suspended sentence due to his brain injury.

Les Battersby
Les was Leanne's ignorant, beer-swilling, work-shy father. Although Les had resolved to look after Leanne after her mother walked out, a lot of the time this job fell to the women in his life i.e. his mother and wife. Les's ambivalent attitude towards his daughter's behaviour as a teenager allowed Leanne to get away with rebelling further and become a nuisance both in school and in the local neighbourhood.

Despite this, Les was protective of Leanne and would respond to her being upset or taken advantage of by others in the best way he knew how, using his fists. When Curly Watts broke Leanne's stereo after the Battersby girls spent days blasting music from the bedroom of No.5, he earned himself a headbutt from Les. Later when Les discovered Leanne working in a lap dancing bar in 2004, he threatened Patrick Tussel for making lewd comments towards her, despite the fact he had made similar comments himself before he realised his daughter was involved. For all this Les wasn't blindly loyal to Leanne, when Judy Mallett hit Leanne for example, Les confronted her but decided that she was justified after hearing her side of the story. Like Les, Leanne has never been afraid of a fight and can stand her ground but she has an ambition and drive that Les always lacked.

Through Les, Leanne had an older half-brother Greg Kelly.

While Leanne was living abroad, Les had seperated from Janice and taken up with a new woman, Cilla. Although Leanne and Cilla's relationship was amicable, they never shared the close bond that she had with Janice. In 2007, Les left the area to work as a roadie for tribute band ZZ Top O' the Morning and has had practically no involvement in Leanne's life since.

Janice Battersby
Janice was the major maternal influence in Leanne's life from the moment she started a relationship with Les, who she went on to marry in 1994. As with Les, some of Janice's influence can be seen in Leanne, in her bolshiness and sharp tongue but also in her deep down striving for better. Janice continued to bring up Leanne as a daughter and treated her as equal with her own daughter, Toyah. Despite this, Leanne initially considered Janice to be more Toyah's mother than her's, resenting the absence of her biological mother, but came to love Janice deeply as a mother of her own over the years, although she always referred to her by her first name.

At the time the family moved to Coronation Street, Janice was the sole breadwinner and was determined for her daughters to earn an honest living, unlike layabout Les. Janice desperately sought employment for Leanne at the factory where she herself worked and pleaded for second chances even after Leanne abused her cleaners job by larking about and smoking in the toilets. Like Les, Janice was relatively open and uncaring to Leanne's young love with Nick but was upset to discover they had eloped and she had not had the opportunity to see Leanne married.

Janice was elated when Leanne returned to her life in 2004 and began living with her again but opportunistic Janice would hope to gain in other means when Leanne started an adulterous relationship with Janice's boss Danny Baldwin in 2005. In exchange for keeping the affair secret, Janice began taking liberties with Danny at work by taking extra breaks and talking down to him in front of the other staff. When Danny decided to end the affair because he was afraid Janice would give the game away, Leanne was forced to step in and speak to her.

Despite Leanne's faults, Janice had a tendency to see the best in her, but Leanne brought great shame to Janice when she discovered her prostitution in 2007. Janice had followed Leanne to a hotel where she was supposedly attending a property exhibition to return her phone. Janice made it clear to Leanne how appalled she was and how ashamed it made her feel to have a child she raised engaging in such activities but Leanne brazenly defended herself and claimed she was simply following an easy way to a sizeable income. Despite her own feelings, when Leanne's secret was exposed Janice was still the first on hand to leap to her defence, fighting Kelly Crabtree in the street after she overheard her slagging Leanne off.

Janice was used to fighting Leanne's battles both physically, such as when she stood in her corner against Maria Connor in June 2004 and on an emotional and financial level. Janice used boyfriend Roger Stiles to fund Leanne's business venture in 2007, desperate to see Leanne pick herself up and not have to resort to prostitution again in order to continue with her restaurant plans. Leanne on the whole did less for Janice and in 2008 she allowed Janice to take the full responsibility for the lottery scam that they were both involved with and face the scorn of her workmates alone. Nevertheless, Leanne would always offer her a place to stay when she was down on her luck, even if it met the disapproval of her current boyfriend.

Although Janice left Weatherfield in 2011, she remains in regular contact with Leanne.

Stella Price
Stella was Leanne's biological mother who had got pregnant by Les when she was 17 and tried to make the best of the dysfunctional relationship that followed, but was ultimately ground down by the drunken neglectfulness of her partner and walked out when Leanne was three. Leanne didn't remember her mother's face, only the smashing of plates during the final argument she had with Les. Stella later returned for her daughter, having got herself together but Les and his mother refused to let her take her, which left her heartbroken.

It wouldn't be until 2011 that Stella would re-enter Leanne's life by which point she had given birth to another daughter, Eva and was living with a long term partner Karl Munro. Leanne was introduced to Stella before she knew her true identity and Stella helped organise Leanne's 30th birthday in order to get closer to her daughter incognito. When Leanne discovered who Stella really was, she angrily rejected her for abandoning her to start a new family and leaving her to be raised by Les.

Leanne first began to thaw towards Stella after she suffered a miscarriage.

Toyah Battersby
Although they are not biologically related, Leanne and Toyah consider each other sisters, having been raised as such by Les and Janice.

Eva Price
Leanne and Eva were both gobsmacked to discover the other existed when they first met as adults in 2011 and the relationship that followed was far from an instant sisterly bond.

Nick Tilsley
Nick was Leanne's first love and a long term on/off partner ever since, who she fell head over heels for in 1997 and eloped with to get married in Gretna Green. The first major obstacle to Leanne and Nick's relationship was Nick's mother Gail who thought Leanne and her family were common and not good enough for her son. Gail was horrified when she discovered that Leanne and Nick had been spending time together in Leanne's bedroom and seeking to be free of their parents influence, Leanne and Nick decided to elope to Scotland to marry in secret, lying to their families that they were spending the day in Leeds. Despite having to drag strangers off the street to be their witnesses, the pair went ahead with the ceremony and returned to Weatherfield as man and wife.

Nick and Leanne's first marriage fell apart in 1999 after Nick pressured Leanne in to an abortion.

Peter Barlow
Other than Nick, Leanne's biggest love has been Peter Barlow who she first became involved with in 2008 and later married.

Steve McDonald
Steve is the father of Leanne's son Oliver.

Simon Barlow
Simon Barlow is the biological son of Peter and Lucy Richards who died from cancer when he was six, but he has come to regard Leanne as his mother.

Carla Connor
Carla is one of Leanne's major rivals.

Maria Connor
Leanne and Maria knew of one another before they were introduced and to Leanne, Maria was the girl who had drove Toyah out of town by sleeping with her boyfriend.

Zoe Tattersall
The Battersbys didn't have many allies when they first arrived on the cobbles but Leanne found a firm friend in Zoe, who had come from a similar background to her. Leanne first approached pregnant Zoe who had been abandoned by her boyfriend in August 1997, asking to lend a fag. The irresponsible girls got drunk together and Zoe confessed to Leanne that she was planning to sell her baby to childless couple Gary and Judy Mallett, who she was lodging with at No.9. Later the same day, Zoe went into premature labour with Leanne and Judy by her side.

Leanne and Zoe continued to hang around together once she returned from hospital with the baby but Zoe's presence began to grate on Judy and Zoe also felt uncomfortable being around the baby that she couldn't raise. Although Leanne advised her to take the money and the baby, Zoe left 'Katie' behind and ran. When Leanne later told Nick about the arrangement Zoe had made with the Mallets, the word spread around the street and Judy countered this by claiming that Zoe had stolen the money. Still loyal to her friend and horrified at been branded a lair, Leanne confronted Judy on the doorstep and ended up with a smack in the face. Determined to prove that the Mallets were lying about Zoe, Leanne tracked her down to a hostel and encouraged her to fight to get Katie back. Zoe later heeded Leanne's advice and took the baby, now called Shannon to live with Ashley Peacock.

Leanne and Zoe remained close and when Leanne and Nick needed someone to stay, it was Zoe and Ashley who they leaned on. Tragedy struck in April 1998 however when Shannon died from meningitis while Leanne and Nick were babysitting. Leanne felt guilty as Shannon had become ill under her watch and felt Zoe would blame her as well, she broke down at Shannon's funeral. Zoe didn't resent Leanne although she did suffer a breakdown after Shannon's death and spent time in a mental hospital. When Zoe returned she continued to live with Leanne until she became involved with the religious cult, The Etheric Foundation. Leanne disapproved of the cult and believed they were 'weirdos' who were taking advantage of Zoe's grief for Shannon. Unfortunately Zoe couldn't be persuaded and after saying a tearful goodbye to Leanne and Ashley, left with the cult.

Background information

 * Leanne was introduced by Brian Park alongside the rest of her family in a shake-up for the show and to bring it up to date. The family were not popular with viewers when they first came into the show.
 * Jane Danson quit the role of Leanne in 2000 after playing the character for three years. However four years later, she was reintroduced into the programme.
 * Leanne has left a couple of times since her comeback in 2004. She was absent from July 2006 to March 2007 when Jane Danson went on maternity leave. The character left again and was absent from March to September 2009 when Jane gave birth to her second child.

First and last lines
"About time. What took you?" (First line, to Janice Battersby)

Appendices
(To be completed)

List of addresses
* Indicates temporary residence